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Narrabri
| latd =30 |latm =19 |lats =0 | longd =149 |longm =46 |longs =0 | maxtemp = 26.5 | mintemp = 11.7 | rainfall = 661.9 | stategov = Barwon | fedgov = Parkes | dist1 = 521 | dir1 = NW | location1= Sydney | dist2 = 575 | dir2 = SW | location2= Brisbane | dist3 = 280 | dir3 = NE | location3= Dubbo | dist4 = 172 | dir4 = NW | location4= Tamworth | dist5 = 101 | dir5 = S | location5= Moree }} Narrabri Macquarie Dictionary, Fourth Edition (2005). Melbourne, The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd. ISBN 1-876429-14-3 is a town and seat of Narrabri Shire Council local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, AustraliaNSW Forecast Areas Retrieved 2009-10-30 on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highway. At the 2011 census, Narrabri had a population of 5,890. As a result of the geography of Narrabri and the surrounding areas, Narrabri township is quite prone to flooding. It is the centre of a major cotton-growing industry. Other agricultural industries in the area include wheat, beef and lamb. Nearby attractions are Mount Kaputar National Park, the Australia Telescope Compact Array at the Paul Wild Observatory (administered by the CSIRO) and a number of agricultural centres, including the Australian Cotton Exhibition Centre. Just to the south of town is the Pilliga Forest, the largest remnant temperate forest in Eastern Australia. Narrabri also has The Crossing Theatre, a 1,000-seat auditorium and cinema complex. History Before the arrival of the Europeans in the early 19th century, Narrabri was the home of the Kamilaroi people, who still constitute a significant part of the local population. Narrabri derives its name from an early property in the district called the Narrabry Run. The name Narrabri is aboriginal in origin and has several possible meanings which include 'snake place', 'big creek' or 'Forked Sticks'. In 1860 Narrabri was proclaimed a town and a year later, on 1 June 1861, Narrabri Post Office opened. Other buildings followed, with the hospital and the first courthouse (1864–65), the school (1868), the police station (1878–79) and post office (1879). During the 1880s the gaol and the second courthouse were built. Climate }} Over the years, Narrabri has had a number of weather stations run by the Bureau of Meteorology or other government agencies. Narrabri West Post Office made rainfall observations from the late 1800s. From June 1960 until August 2002, it observed and reported other weather elements such as temperature and wind speed. Since then it only reports rainfall. The current weather station for Narrabri is Narrabri Airport Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which began observations in 2001. Significant weather events On 4 January 1902 a severe thunderstorm, with large hail and destructive winds struck the town, with many buildings either damaged or destroyed. The storm, which lasted only five minutes, was described as a 'cyclone'. One man died after being struck by lightning and another two people were injured by the storm. Damage caused by the storm was estimated to be around 3,000 pounds. Media Narrabri has a twice-weekly published newspaper, The Courier, one of the few remaining independent regional newspapers in Australia. A local volunteer-run community radio station, 2MAX FM services the area, broadcasting on 91.3MHz FM, from the nearby Mt Dowe, and is able to cover a very large area due to this altitude. The station started in 2006. 2MAX FM has a focus on country music and older listeners. Transport The town is served by twice-daily flights from Narrabri Airport to Sydney with Aeropelican Air Services. Aeropelican also flies 5 times weekly to Brisbane and 6 times weekly to Newcastle. It is almost equidistant from Brisbane and Sydney. Railway station Narrabri railway station is on the Mungindi railway line, from Sydney.Narrabri Railway Station. NSWrail.net. Accessed 1 April 2008. The station opened in 1897 and is served by a single daily Xplorer diesel railmotor between Sydney and Moree.CountyLink Timetable CountryLink.info. Accessed 1 April 2008. Narrabri is an important centre for rail freight, with considerable infrastructure improvements since the mid-1990s.Rail Traffic Resurgence at Narrabri Clark, Allan J. Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin, March, 2000 pp83-91 Notable residents * Jeff Hardy, Australian Paralympic swimmer * Chris Latham,former Australian Wallaby Rugby Union player * Ernest Riddle, former Governor of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia * Jason Stoltenberg, former international tennis player References External links *Narrabri Business website *A Calendar of Local Events website *Narrabri Shire Council Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:North West Slopes